Some 124 people were rescued alive from the rubble of the building, believed to be a guesthouse for foreign followers of TB Joshua’s The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), in the Ikotun area of Lagos.

The two-storey building, located in the sprawling compound of the vast church complex, came down on Friday afternoon. It was undergoing construction work to add extra floors.

TB Joshua has an almost fanatical following among Nigerians and across the world, attracted by his purported healing powers and prophecies.

“The few people that were there are being rescued,” he said on Friday.

Joshua was widely quoted in Nigeria’s media on Sunday as saying that a low-flying plane that had been repeatedly circling the building may have been responsible for the collapse. Ikotun lies to the west of Lagos’ international airport.